The Pact
by EmilotheCheerio
Summary: Emily Harte has lived with the Original family for a thousand years, eventually falling for Klaus. But what happens when Emily is found dead and despite what he claims, it appears that Klaus, her beloved, killed her?
1. The End

**Hello :) This is my FIRST story. Woah. I feel like dancing or singin'. But I won't. That might be weird. I don't want to scare anyone away. Speaking of people going away, if the first chapter doesn't totally make you go, "... That was awesome," please don't go. Just try the second. Because it will totes get much better. K? K! And , unfortunately, I don't anything Vampire Diaries or the characters. Just Emily and anyone else I decide to bring along. Okay, start reading now! **

* * *

><p>Let us embrace, and from this very moment,<p>

Vow an eternal misery together

-Thomas Otway

* * *

><p><em>Now<em>

_March 2012_

There was nothing left to say.

She had made the choice already. If she regretted it, she didn't say it. He covered her body with his, and she put her arms around him. If she thought long enough, she could still picture him in all of his incarnations. Age five, his hair becoming less pure of a blond; age 11, sprouting. Age 14, with the hands of a man. The moon rolled in the sky, sloe eyed; she breathed in his scent. "I love you," she said.

He kissed her gently, and she was left wondering if she had just imagined it. She pulled back slightly, to look into his eyes.

And the stake was plunged into her heart.

* * *

><p>Although for centuries, almost a thousand years, that they had been parted as a family, they still felt whole. United. Except for Finn; but he had never truly felt like one of them anyways. There was Elijah, moral. The "good" brother, to this family's standards, at least. Finn, the eldest, who hated what he had become. Rebekah, the youngest; tempting, wild, and still a little girl who relied on her big brother and believed that her mother loved her, no matter what she did. Kol, a loose cannon, the trouble maker. And finally Niklaus, the black sheep. The son that nobody wanted and the "bad' brother. A cursed man. An entirely different family had been brought together and torn apart by things that had been set in motion long before some were even born. A tragic story, of course, but one that seemed to be coming to an end.<p>

Last year, Klaus's curse had been broken. To him, it was a celebration. Finally, the boulder had been lifted off his shoulders. But then came Mikael, the father. Not his, but the only one he had. One that wanted to kill him. Klaus had killed him though, and reunited his family.

But the happiness only lasted for a while.

"You know, Rebekah," Kol chimed in from the living room, "fraternizing with the enemy will only lead to your little heart being broken. And a Salvatore no less! Scandal, truly."

"But screwing every schoolgirl in Mystic Falls is perfectly fine?" she countered. Kol only grinned, reveling in the pride he had over east conquests. Rebekah pushed passed him to get to Elijah, who was looking at the clock, seemingly transfixed.

"What are you waiting for?'

"Niklaus and Emily," he replied evenly. Rebekah smiled. Emily

"Knowing her, they're probably out looking for lost puppies to help. She was always very generous." Rebekah pulled her brother away from the clock and set him down on the couch. "They're practically adults. Or at least they're old enough to be."

"Actually," Elijah pointed out, "Emily was turned when she was seventeen."

Rebekah thought back to the days when they were all still completely intact with their humanity. When they were all still _human_. It seemed so far away, so long ago. Changing someone at such a young age seemed awful.

But Emily never complained. She never threw fits or cried. She merely accepted the fact that she couldn't have children or a family. That was probably the worst part.

"I wouldn't worry," Rebekah offered. "They'll be back soon. They always get into trouble together, and they're fine. You know that."

Elijah smiled. "Yes. I do."

Rebekah walked away, satisfied. However, Elijah was not convinced.

* * *

><p>The loud thud woke the entire house.<p>

Elijah ran down the stairs, wondering if Emily and Klaus had indeed made it back and were sleeping upstairs. However, when he ran to the front door, he found out they weren't.

Klaus came in, his clothes and face dirty. His cheeks were tear stained and his eyes were red rimmed. Rebekah ran to help, but he pushed passed her. Kol stood by waiting for instructions.

Elijah broke the silence. "Klaus? Are you alright?"

He looked at him. "I don't know."

* * *

><p>Elijah was beginning to see his brother in an entirely new way. When Klaus was with Emily, he was nice and caring. He would laugh and make jokes, just to see her smile. He would never raise his voice at her. He was patient and loving. But only with Emily.<p>

Without her, Elijah realized, Klaus was a mess. She was his rock, his love. And now apparently, according to Klaus, she was missing.

"Klaus, do you know where you were?" Kol asked.

Klaus lifted his head, slowly and carefully as if looking at his family would bring on some kind of catastrophe. "Up on the hill," he whispered.

Elijah nodded. As kids, they would travel for two hours through the woods so they could get to this hill. It had been in town for God knows how long. It was secluded and they were the only ones who knew about it. Rebekah broke her arm doing cartwheels down it. Klaus and Emily shared their first kiss together on that hill.

"Is Em still there?" Rebekah questioned.

Klaus looked back down. "No."

Elijah raised an eyebrow. "Where is she then?"

"She's upstairs."

Kol laughed. "Knew you were just lying. Well, why isn't she down here? She could be helping us try to figure out why you look like you just killed a village of puppies!"

Klaus got up and walked to his brother. "She won't talk to you." Klaus looked like a man scorned, wrecked.

Elijah moved closer to their conversation. If Em was upstairs, he would know. She would here her walking around or breathing or brushing her hair or something. It was only them.

Kol snorted. "I know she;s up there, Niklaus. Probably laughing right now. Come on Em!" Kol screamed the the ceiling above him. "We all know you're listeni-" Klaus cut him off, savagely.

"Em," he said, "is dead."


	2. Beginnings

**Chapter 2! I got a review, somebody added it to their Faves, and somebody put it on their story alerts. *Wild clapping and spinning* Woot! And now we have chapter 2. This is now not a one chapter story, folks! Stuff is now goin' down! Getting serious up in here. Remember, I don't own anything TVD. If I did, Elijah would have never died, they would have stopped trying to kill Klaus like 14 episodes ago, and Kol would still be here. And Rebekah might be a mermaid, but that's just my childhood talking. Here we go!**

* * *

><p>Friends are born,<p>

Not made.

- Henry B. Adams

* * *

><p>If you've ever lost somebody dear to you, you know what this family was going through. If you've never experienced it, then you cannot possibly imagine it. It's as if there is a huge, gaping hole in the world. For a minute, you can't breathe, think, blink. Everything that once came natural to you, you have to think about. You have to force yourself. Nothing is normal or natural.<p>

_Em is dead_, he had said. A simple sentence. One that had taken the breath away from everyone in that room. A sentence that had said so much, with so little. A nightmare.

Rebekah tried to stay still. In fact she had every intention to. But her knees gave out from under her. Kol remained upright, frozen.

"I, I don't know what happened," Klaus began. "I'm so sorry." He whispered an apology so unneeded. What was he apologizing for? Rebekah could not rework the words into anything but what they signified. She crumpled further, her body folding into itself, until her head was so deeply buried beneath her shaking arms that she could no longer hear what anyone was saying.

Klaus went on, himself shaking too. "It happened on the hill. I couldn't just _leave _her there. God, I just couldn't." He was shaking and crying so profusely that it was a wonder they could understand him at all.

'I don't understand," Rebekah said, finally lifting her head up. "How can, h-, how can this happen?" she sobbed.

'Who did it?" Kol forced out, between clenched teeth. "Who killed her?"

Klaus bent down. "I don't know." He looked at Elijah, his eyes boring into him. 'Do you want to see her?'

This question took a moment for Elijah to comprehend. She's dead. Why would he want to see her? Is his brother really that crazy? Or is he just imagining this entire thing. Elijah liked to think it was a little of both. He hesitated. "Yes," he whispered.

Leaving their brother and sister behind, Klaus rose from the couch and led Elijah upstairs. They passed pictures of Emily stretching over the last century or so. Her paintings, a legacy to this family anyway, were hanging up along the walls. They were so lively, perfect. Until finally, they stopped at a door with no noise, or bustle, or life behind it. Klaus waited until Elijah inclined his head, then turned that knob and stepped through the threshold.

Emily was lying on her back on the bed. The stake was no longer on her heart; Klaus must have removed it. Elijah stepped closer, resting his hand on her hair. Her forehead was smooth, still warm. Klaus was wrong; that was all. She was not dead, she could not be dead, she….He lifted his hand, and her head lolled toward him, her face gray and touched by veins that protruded when a vampire dies. Her chest and shirt were matted with dry blood. But no new blood was circulating.

Suddenly, there was movement behind Elijah.

"Klaus? He said.

Klaus nodded and ran out of the room. He ran down the stairs and past his siblings still in the living room. He ran past his mother and Finn, coming back from wherever they ventured off to tonight. They still didn't know. Esther now looked breathless, reaching out to him. He picked up speed. Then he turned the corner, outside the front door, sank to his knees, and retched.

* * *

><p>Elijah came back down the steps. His expression was unreadable.<p>

"What do you think happened?" Kol asked. "Klaus just ran out all of a sudden. What do you think happened." Elijah looked to his brother.

Rebekah interrupted whatever he was about to say. "My God. He's probably this absolute wreck right now. I just can't even imagine. He loved her so much…" She trailed off.

Now, Elijah spoke. "Maybe," he said. "But he also may have killed her."

* * *

><p><em>Then <em>

_Fall 1052 A.D _

If you were to look at Alexandra Harte at this very moment, you wouldn't be able to tell that she was eight months pregnant with her second child. She was entirely skinny, had been her whole life. She never got even a little chubby. To her, it was a blessing. To others, it was a mystery. Everyone was jealous.

Alex, as most people called her, was extremely beautiful. Her golden hair spilled to her waist in slight waves. Her dark blue eyes shined brighter than any star in the sky. Her slightly tan skin always made her look like the inside of her home must be summer. But it wasn't just her appearance that was unfair.

James Harte was a chiseled farmer with dark hair and even darker eyes. He had Alex's tan and, where Alex was skinny and slender, James was tall and muscled. Their son, Jasper, had his mothers' face and his father's build. Or at least he would when he was older. Jasper was six.

And right now he was napping. Alex and James were talking as quietly as humanly possible. Jasper was impossible to get back to sleep once awoken.

"I just want a girl," Alex hoped. "There are already too many damn boys in this house, anyway," she joked.

"Yeah. And possibly one that resembles me," James laughed.

A knock on the door startled them both and Alex bustled over to answer it. She was greeted with a tall, blonde woman. She exuberated a wildness about her, a power. Alex was instantly drawn in.

"Hello. My name is Esther and I heard that you and your family just moved in next to us. I just wanted to welcome you." Esther smiled.

Alex fumbled. "Oh, um, well, thank you. It's nice to see at least one person might like us here."

Esther laughed. Suddenly, Alex realized that Esther's stomach was bulging. And Esther realized that Alex was staring.

"Nine months,' she said, not at all offended. "This is my fifth." Alex's eyes widened.

"My God. I only have one and I'm already wandering when he's gonna move out," she muttered, joking.

Esther took the joke in stride and laughed. "How far along are you?" she asked.

Alex froze. Nobody could really tell she was pregnant. She was actually trying to keep it a secret until the baby was actually born. Good luck, she had once heard.

"Eight and a half months," she whispered. Esther tilted her head toward Alex and lifted one fine eyebrow up.

"Well, then," Esther declared. "Looks like we're on the same boat."

* * *

><p>Over the next few days, Alex and Esther spent every waking moment together. Esther would come over in the mornings just to talk. They would exchange stories about their husbands to each other which would leave both of them almost on the floor, laughing hysterically. Alex would argue with James and go and get Esther, just to be told unequivocally that she was right.<p>

They each grew comfortable walking into each other's houses without knocking. Alex would start to wear Esther's maternity clothes. They would exchange baby names with each other. They grew able to finish each other's sentences.

Their husbands also grew close. Mikael, Esther's partner, would go hunting with James in the mornings while the girls gossiped. They would drink together. Soon, they all became inseparable.

Mikael didn't approve of them walking in the woods though.

"You're going to end up giving birth to that child under a willow alone," he had once predicted.

Alex could see things in Mikael that she could see in James, but with a positive twist. James was reserved, Mikael was level- headed; James was shy, he was introspective; he was obsessing, Mikael was exacting.

He was also right. Esther's water broke three days later, while she was walking alone in the woods without Alex. If a few early hunters and been a few minutes later and not have helped her, she might very well have given birth to Rebekah Mikaelson on a bed of twigs.

* * *

><p>Finn, Elijah, Niklaus, and Kol were all excited to have a little sister. Especially four year old Klaus. He would always go up to Rebekah and talk to her and pat her head. He didn't seem to understand that she had no idea what was happening.<p>

Alex would visit the baby girl every day. She hoped her baby would be as beautiful as her. She hoped Jasper would love his sibling just as much as little Niklaus loves his baby sister. Three nights later, Alex dreamed about her baby. It was beautiful. She woke up in the middle of the night, with the mattress soaking wet.

Pain made her double over. James panicked. He sent his son over next door, to go and get Esther. With her entire family with her, for some unknown reason to them all, Esther helped Alex give birth to a magnificent baby girl.

"Oh, my," she said, her eyes wet. "Look at that."

"I know," Esther said, her throat tight. "I see."

James touched his daughter's perfectly fine brown eyebrows. Her fingernail was longer than her nose. "She's perfect. She's…" He shook his head. "I don't know what to say."

Mikael laughed. "I think a celebration is in order." He took a bottle of champagne and poured it into four small glasses. "To family," he said, raising his glass. "To… does she have a name?"

James looked at Alex. "To Emily," she said, smiling.

James lifted his glass. "And, belatedly, to Rebekah."

Esther looked at her children, and found Niklaus, somehow asleep. She laughed. Five minutes ago, a woman just gave birth and he was snoozing away. He was lying on the bed beside her. Alex reluctantly put _her _now sleeping baby next to Klaus.

"Look at that," James said. "Not even a n hour old and my daughter's already sleeping with some guy."

They all looked at the bed. The baby startled, a reflex. Her longs fingers flailed open and curled back into fists, grabbing for purchase. And although she was completely unaware, when Emily Harte again settled into sleep, she was holding tight to Niklaus Mikaelson's hand.


	3. Secrets

**Chapter 3! I think I'm on a role, you guys. 3 chapters in three days? For me and my procrastinating self, that's pretty impressive. NEW TVD TONIGHT! Hiatuses are the worst. And soon there's gonna be another one. Ugh. Anyways, I don't own TVD or its characters or blah blah blah. Okay! Story time :) **

* * *

><p>Confession is always weakness. The grave soul keeps its own secrets, and takes its own punishment in silence.<br>- Dorothy Dix

* * *

><p><em>Now<em>

_March 2012 _

There were not many things that surprised someone like Elijah. He had been around for almost a thousand years; he's seen every war and the worst sort of bloodshed. He had witnessed countless deaths of innocent people. He himself had killed, too many times to count.

But somehow, this had been the absolute worst thing Elijah believed he had ever been a part of.

"What do you mean you think he killed her?" Rebekah was in a rage. Of course, she had seen her brother kill many, _many _people. But all of those people were strangers, food. They were needed for survival. This was _Em_. Emily, who had been Rebekah's very first friend. From birth, even. Emily, who Nik had grown up to know as a sister, but had ended up knowing as a lover. A best friend. A confidante. He would never hurt her willingly. Elijah was wrong.

Now Elijah was looking at his little sister intensely. Whatever he had seen upstairs, Rebekah thought, now has him as paranoid as all of us.

"I mean," Elijah started, "that while I don't know for _sure_, Niklaus was presumably the only person with Emily when she died and he's not acting normal." Whatever normal was for Klaus, anyway.

"Of course he's acting odd," Rebekah said through clenched teeth. "His girlfriend was just staked to death!" Obviously, Rebekah had skipped denial and sadness in the grief process and had just gone right to anger and lividness.

Elijah sighed. He turned to Kol; maybe he would have better luck with his brother. "What do you think?" he asked, cautiously.

Kol looked around, worried and anxious. Whatever he said now would make somebody mad.

"I think," he began, "that we shouldn't rule out any possibilities." Seeing his sister's face, he added, "I'm not saying that he actually did it. I just know that what Elijah said is true, about them being alone and stuff, and I just don't want to rule out anything because of bias." He let out a breath.

There were tears forming in Rebekah's eyes now. She shook her head. "I don't understand either of you," she whispered. Breaking into sobs, she scurried up the stairs to her mother.

Esther had listened to what had happened earlier when she arrived home. She had said nothing, just like Finn, but the look on her face told everything. Emily was like a daughter. Even when they were all still human. She was now upstairs examining Emily's body, looking for anything suspicious.

Klaus had refused to take part in the examination. Esther had told him that she needed to know everything that they did, but he had said that he didn't want to talk about it. He was now upstairs in Elijah's room. Emily was in his.

Kol sat down on the couch, grabbing a pillow. "She'll come around," he reasoned. "Just wait a few hours…. Or days." Kol bunched his eyebrows together. "Well, you did just accuse her brother of murdering her best friend, and, well, I'd be pretty upse-"

"I did not accuse him!" Elijah belted. Damn everyone for thinking that. He was stating possibilities. That was it. He turned away from his brother; he couldn't look at him.

Elijah had loved Emily, couldn't anybody remember _ that_. Maybe not in the same way as Klaus, but he did. She made him laugh. She told him secrets. She _trusted_ him. Not many people had ever done that. She had a special relationship with everyone in this family. Elijah was a brother to her. Someone to tease her and protect her. Someone that loved her and hated her in a span of a day. But in the end, would always choose her. Emily was a special kind of girl. She was one of a kind. And now she was dead.

Elijah would never hear her laugh. The way her blue eyes would light up and twinkle when she smiled. How her long, slender fingers moved over a piano with such ease, creating a peaceful melody. The way she would paint a simple picture, and yet it looked like a masterpiece. Emily's rosy checks were now ruined with gray and veins. There were now no secrets; no special glances or smiles. Now, there was no more Emily.

That seemed like the worst part.

* * *

><p>Rebekah stood in the doorway of Elijah's bedroom, one hand resting on the door knob in case he totally freaked and became some head case. Just a way to get out fast. She loved her brother, really. But for three days all he had been doing was sitting on that bed staring at nothing, sulking. She didn't want to visit him. She reasoned that he'd be coming back to normal in a couple of days. Maybe Tuesday, she thought hopefully. Klaus didn't want any family members up here anyways. He just wanted Emily. Just like everybody else.<p>

It scared her to know that right now, any doctor would classify him as being ready to be transmitted to a rubber room somewhere. She looked different, with dark circles under his eyes and this hunted look, like everybody was out to get him. Certainly not like someone who would throw a party because his father was dead. Or killed randoms because he was bored. Rebekah felt a pang in her chest, and silently swore to let him have the bathroom every morning. Most of the time they were hostile to each other: fighting over entering a room without knocking first, over the bathroom, and teasing him over finding him with his hands under Emily's sweatshirt, like two horny teenagers. All those times she had told him to "Drop dead," and look how close he may have come to it now.

"Hey," she said and was embarrassed to find that her voice trembled. "How are you feeling?"

Klaus shrugged. "Like shit."

Rebekah bit her lip, trying to remember what her mother had told her. _Cheep him up. Make small talk. Don't mention Emily. _"Uh, well, I may have a date to the decade dance."

Klaus lifted his dull, flat eyes to her. He didn't say anything, but he didn't have to. _Em's dead, Rebekah_, he was sneering. _You think I care about your fucking school dance?_

Maybe if she didn't look at him…..She turned toward the window. It overlooked absolutely nothing. Except the bleak, rainy day that came over today. God," she breathed. "I wouldn't give this view to someone who's probably suicidal."

Klaus made a sound; Rebekah whirled around and clamped her mouth shut. "Oh, I wasn't supposed to say that…" she muttered, and then she realized Klaus was smiling. She had made him smile.

"What they'd tell you to talk to me about?" Klaus asked.

Rebekah came over and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Anything to make you happy," she admitted.

"What would make me happy,' he said, "is knowing when the funeral's going to be."

"Monday," Rebekah said, leaning back on her elbows, relaxing in this new, tentative trust. "But I'm absolutely, positively not supposed to tell you that."

Klaus let a slow smile painfully creep across his face. "Don't worry," he said. "I won't hold it against you."

* * *

><p>When Monday arrived, Esther and Kol came up to Elijah's room looking for Klaus. He was dressed in a black tux. Like the one you'd wear for a wedding, Kol thought. Klaus had gotten up early, taken a shower, and dressed, <em>eaten<em>. Probably not because of a change of heart. This was for Emily. His hair was damp, neatly combed. "Good," he said, coming to his feet. "Let's go."

Esther stopped him. "Are you sure you want to do this?" After all, the last time he had been alone with Emily, it was carrying her dead body back to the house.

"I have to." Klaus said. "I just need to see her before I never can again."

His mother cleared her throat. 'Well then. Let's go."

Fifteen minutes later, they were right smack in the heart of the woods. It was only them, Esther, Finn, Kol, Elijah, and Rebekah, and Klaus. Every other close person in Emily's life had died a long time ago. This was her only family.

Her casket was supposed to be closed, but Klaus insisted that it be opened. So that he could just see her, he had said. They all said their condolences, Rebekah and Esther tearing up. When everyone was done, they all came around to the front of the coffin and each dropped one iris, Em's favorite flower, in. Klaus was the last. Instead of just dropping it in, he gently placed his flower right on Emily's chest, where her hands were folded.

Her clothes had been changed from the jeans and t-shirt she had worn on Friday night, the ones caked with blood, into a short, yellow summer dress and tan sandals. Her hair was flowing wild and loose around her shoulders. She rarely wore makeup (she didn't need it) so she had no makeup on now.

Slowly, Klaus touched Emily's cold face. He stroked her cheek gingerly, as if he didn't want to wake her. Maybe he was just pretending she was sleeping.

Finally, Klaus walked away from Em, his face unreadable. There were no tears, but he definitely didn't look altogether, either. Rebekah walked up to him and put her chin on Klaus's shoulder. Together, they watched Finn and Elijah close the lid and settle Emily's coffin into the ground.

Suddenly, and without warning, Klaus thought, _We shouldn't have buried her in a dress in March. She'll freeze to death. _

And then finally the tears that wouldn't come during the funeral came rushing to the surface now. Rebekah was sure that this wouldn't be the last time that she would have to comfort her big brother. Now, she just wondered what exactly she was really comforting him for.

* * *

><p><em>Then <em>

_Spring 1061 A.D. _

Emily and Klaus sat under a tent of blankets on her bed, a candle secured between Em's hands. Klaus's parents had let him come over for the night. It was better to stay over at her house because Klaus shared a room with Kol and he's be pestering them to be quiet while he tried to sleep. Klaus and Em planned to stay up past midnight. Alex had told them that they could stay up till ten, but then it was light out.

Usually Emily had to go to bed at nine, since she was _only_ nine. Esther and Mikael, however, let Klaus stay up till 10:30 because he's thirteen. Going to bed at ten tonight was compromise. But if they stayed quiet, no one else would be the wiser.

"So?" Klaus pressed. "Truth or dare?" This was their absolute favorite game.

"Truth," Emily said. "The worst thing I've ever done… was broke your mom's vase and blame it on Henrick."

Klaus smiled. "That was awful. You're a pretty bad person for that."

"I only said that because you told me to,' Emily whispered fiercely. "You said that he wouldn't know any better." Then she frowned. "If you already knew how bad that was, why did you even ask the question?"

"Okay. I'll ask another one." Klaus said. "Read me what you wrote in you diary when I was in the kitchen."

Emily gasped. "Dare."

Klaus's teeth gleamed white in the glow of the candle. "Sneak into your parent's bedroom,; he said. "And bring back a book or something, so I'll know you did it.'

"Fine," Emily huffed, throwing the covers back. Her parents had gone to sleep half an hour age. Surely they still wouldn't be awake.

The minute she was gone, Klaus started for the tiny, peach-colored book into which Emily poured out her heart every night. He touched his hand to the back of the diary, and then snatched it back, his palm burning. Was he chicken because he knew Em wouldn't want him to see it? Or was he afraid of what he might read?

She shook the book and eased it open. His name was all over the place. His eyes widened, then he slapped the diary back down and went back to bed, certain that guilt was sprawled across his forehead.

"Here," Em said, breathless, crawling back into bed. She held out another candle. Klaus recognized the red one that was always on her mother's night stand. "Your turn," She tucked her feet underneath her. "Who's the prettiest girl in the village?"

"Well, that was a no-brainer. Emily would expect him to say Tatia Petrova. At least she was actually Klaus's age. But if he said Tatia, he knew Em would get mad, because he was supposed to be her best friend.

"Dare," he muttered.

"Okay." And before Emily could edit her thoughts, she told Klaus he had to kiss her.

He threw the blanket off their heads. "I what?"

"You heard me," Em said, frowning. "It's not as bad as sneaking into my parents' bedroom."

His hands were sweaty all of a sudden, so he wiped them on his knees. "Okay," he said. He leaned forward and put his mouth onto hers. Then he drew back, just as flushed as Emily. "Well," he announced, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "That was pretty gross."

Em gently touched her fingers to her lips. "Definitely," she whispered.

* * *

><p>As thanks for keeping Klaus over last night, Esther agreed to take him and Emily out for a picnic. It was supposed to be a nice outing, but all Klaus and Em could see was the Creep. He lived at the very edge of town, secluded form everyone. His hair was black and greasy and he had a walleye. He couldn't have been more than 35. And right now, he was staring at them. Esther didn't seem to notice.<p>

Emily turned around at the table, just to see where he was, and found the Creep staring directly at her with one straight eye.

Klaus sat beside her. "I think," he whispered, "he's you secret admirer."

"Stop it," Em shuddered. "You're freaking me out."

"Maybe he'll ask you parents for their blessing so he can marry you," Klaus continued. "Maybe he'll-"

"Klaus," Emily warned, punching him on the arm.

"What's going on," Esther asked.

"Nothing," they answered in unison.

Emily watched to the Creep just sit in front of house. He looked up at her, as if he could feel her eyes on him, and she immediately stared down at her sandwich.

Suddenly, Klaus leaned over to whisper again. His breath was hot in her ear. "Ultimate dare."

An ultimate dare was one that raised you in the other person's estimation by leaps and bound, if completed. Not that they were keeping count, but if they were, it would definitely put Em in the lead. She wondered if this was his way of getting back at her for the kiss last night.

The last ultimate dare had been issued by Emily. Klaus had mooned an entire group of girls, one of whom was Tatia Petrova.

She nodded.

"Go pee," he whispered. "Behind the Creep's house."

Emily smiled. All in all, it was a pretty good dare. And it nearly wasn't as bad as pulling your pants down at some teenage girls. If anyone saw, she'd just say it was an emergency, and nobody would even care. She glanced around for the Creep, because she didn't want him to know how close she actually was to him. He wasn't there; probably already gone back inside. "I have to go to the bathroom," she said to Esther and got up.

Esther wiped her mouth with her napkin. "I'll take you," she said.

"No!" Em cried. "I mean, I can go by myself."

"Alex let's you go alone?" Esther asked, raising an eyebrow.

She didn't, but Emily nodded.

Esther hesitated, obviously torn. "Alright,' she sighed.

Esther watched Em leave the table and go for the house. Then she turned her attention to Henrick, who know had just spilled apple juice on himself.

Emily made sure Klaus was watching and finally she turned to the right, right behind the Creep's house.

In less than five minutes, she slid back to the seat beside Klaus. "Nice job," he said, and touched her arm.

"It was no big deal," Emily murmured.

"Oh yeah?" he whispered. "Then why are you shaking?"

"It's nothing," she said, shrugging, but she would not look at him. She methodically ate the rest of a sandwich she could no longer taste and slowly convinced herself that she had told him the truth.

* * *

><p><strong>Bit longer than the others. But this is probably my favorite so far. Remember to review, you guys! :) <strong>


	4. A Fine Line

**So, TVD last night was like, "Whoa." Alaric and the ring were like blowing my mind and confusing me all at the same time. And I think I'll like Sage. We'll see. "Dear Diary, a chipmunk asked me my name today. I told him it was Joe. That lie will haunt me forever." Ha! Oh, Damon. Anyway, chap 4! Don't own anything, blah. Blah. Blah. **

* * *

><p>Who ever loved<p>

That loved not at first sight?

-Christopher Marlowe

* * *

><p><em>Now <em>

_March 2012 _

The moment Klaus came down from upstairs and sat on the couch, his mother tried to talk to him. Esther started chattering about the ball from a few weeks ago; all Klaus could think about was how Emily had refused to go because she was so shy and she didn't want to have to talk to hundreds of people that were only there because they were scared that if they didn't, someone from the family would come for them. Rebekah convinced her to come by saying that she only had to come for a few minutes and then she could leave if she wanted. Emily ended up staying for the whole night.

Realizing that his mother was still talking, Klaus heard various questions like if he thought it would end up snowing one more time or, again, about the decade dance Rebekah was talking about a couple of days ago when she came to talk to him. Klaus gritted his teeth, just trying to block her out. What he wanted to say was _Stop trying to act like nothing happened. Because something did happen, and ignoring it won't make it go away. _

Instead, he looked up to her when she touched his face and he forced a smile.

"Niklaus," Esther said, "could I ask you a few questions?"

* * *

><p>Klaus felt like he was under arrest. She probably thinks I should be, he thought. His mother sat in front of him on the burgundy chair beside the couch. She was leaning forward, practically balancing herself on her elbows which were on the arm rest. "Could you tell me about…that night?" Esther asked.<p>

Klaus expected as much. There was no reason now to throw a fit or refuse. He would simply tell her. He leaned forward and folded his arms on the coffee table and cleared his throat. "Emily had gone out to lunch with Rebekah that afternoon and when she got back, she asked me if when it got dark if I would want to go up to the hill with her."

"Did you two walk?"

Well, duh. The woods had no trail and were so densely populated with trees that it would be pretty impossible to even _think _to try the drive through them. "Yes," he answered.

His mother nodded. 'What else?'

"We brought stuff to drink…"

"What stuff?"

"Alcohol."

"We?"

"I brought it."

"Why?"

Klaus shifted. He didn't understand why it mattered that they brought alcohol with them. They weren't some irresponsible teenagers. As if understanding that she was pushing too hard, Esther asked another question. "Did you bring the stake with you?" Well, that was a random question.

It was only then that Klaus realized that Elijah and Kol were in the dining room in the next room. Probably hanging on to every word. Or getting ready to crucify me, he thought.

Suddenly, the monster inside of him uncoiled. They should know the truth. They should know that they were completely wrong.

"Yes. I did."

Esther looked at her son intensely. "Why did you have the stake, Klaus?'

"Because Em asked me to."

"Why did she ask you to bring the stake?"

Klaus took a breath. His eyes, involuntarily, started to dampen. He looked his mother dead in the eye and answered her.

"Because Emily was going to kill herself."

* * *

><p><em>Then <em>

_June 1065 A.D _

"Ready, set, go!" Emily yelled across the hill. Racing down this hill was something they'd been doing since Em learned to even walk. Once every month, both Klaus and Emily's families would get together and have a big race. At least the kids would. The adults would sit back and watch.

Right now, it was Klaus and Emily facing off. Even thought Em was pretty fast, Klaus was seventeen, older, and he had longer legs. He would beat her without breaking a sweat.

Jasper was at the bottom of the hill, ready to announce the winner. With Emily's yell, they were off. Racing down the hill, they both picked up speed. Klaus, however, was gaining ground. He looked back at Em, still trying to catch up. Suddenly, there was a whistle.

Tatia Petrova was watching. She smiled at Klaus and winked. Klaus found himself slowing down, to busy looking at Tatia to even notice the race.

Emily was absolutely dumbfounded that she was now catching up to him. Why the hell was he slowing down? Then she saw her.

Tatia Petrova was staring at Klaus were her little brown eyes, doe-eyed and reeling him in like a fish. Out of some pit buried deep inside of her, jealousy raged through Emily. She swerved to Klaus and pushed him so hard that he grunted and fell face first to the ground. Emily jumped over his body and raced to her brother, who declared her the winner.

Emily saw Tatia giggle and walk away, pity on her face. Em smiled, a cruel one. Klaus got up, clearly raging, and marched over to Emily.

"That was cheating!" he declared. "You can't just _push_ someone down!"

Emily's face contorted. "I did not cheat! Nobody said there were any rules anyway!"

Klaus and Emily stared each other down, each too far along in pride to give in to each other. They looked at somebody, anybody, to tell them the ruling. James and Mikael both looked at each other. Mikael stood. "Since, technically, none of us actually made any rules, Emily's right. She wins."

Emily shrieked and clapped. Klaus's face turned eighteen shades of red. How the fuck did a thirteen year old girl beat me, he screamed to himself. Then, he tried to calm himself down.

It's just a stupid game. It didn't really matter. Feeling charitable, he offered to have a rematch. Without pushing people down. Emily stuck up her nose.

"God," Klaus said. "Now what?"

"You owe me an apology," Emily said.

"What for?"

'You said I cheat. I don't cheat." Her eyes were dark and heavy on him.

"Fine, you don't cheat. Let's go again."

"I don't think so," Em huffed. "You have to say it like you mean it."

Klaus narrowed his eyes and turned around. Who the hell did she think she was? Fuck the race, fuck the apology, and fuck Emily. Who was she to humiliate him, anyway? Sure she could be a lot of fun sometimes. But sometimes he just wanted to kill her.

* * *

><p>A few weeks later, Klaus found Emily running around the entire village. Practicing, she said, for the next race.<p>

"If you were really practicing, I'd think you'd want to go and push people around," he spat.

Emily stopped jogging and turned around. Her clear blue eyes now filled with tears. "I'm sorry," she whispered. Her best friend was mad at her and to her that was all she could do. Apologize for asking him to apologize.

"I tried practicing on the hill behind Ms. Leons' house," she said.

At that, Klaus looked up. Ms. Leons' hill was one of the steepest hills in the whole town. It twisted and bucked randomly and was full of many deep holes where gofers had tried to make a home. They had tried to race there before, but Em was so scared that he actually had to help her down because she refused, half way down, to keep running. She was probably about seven then. All he could think was that she was lucky she didn't hurt herself.

Suddenly, something unfurled inside of Klaus. He could get back at Emily for last night, and so easily. She was feeling guilty, that was clear enough, so she'd be willing to jump through whatever hoop he asked. He'd take her down a hill tougher that Ms. Leons', one that would have her shaking in her boots by the time she made it to the bottom.

Klaus looked at Emily, and smiled a smile that represented his dark mood. "Em," he said. "I have an idea."

* * *

><p>Mystic Falls' most dangerous hill was actually one where a falls was located. It was the highest hill in a 50 mile radius, probably high enough to be classified as a mountain if you thought about it. And right now Emily was shaking like a leaf at the top, with Klaus in front of her yelling. "Come on Em!" he screamed at her.<p>

Cautiously, Emily started down the mountain. She started off good enough, but then her foot was caught in a pile of twigs and she ended up in a tangle of arms and legs. "Ouch," she said.

"Well, that's the easiest part," Klaus smiled nastily.

She was seriously considering taking off and walking down the mountain at this point, but she wanted to get back in Klaus's good graces. After all, it was her fault that Klaus had spent a good deal of his time angry at her. If Klaus was being charitable enough to let her run with him, then she'd sprint upside down, if that's what he wanted.

Taking a deep breath, Emily ran after Klaus, watching him run easily down the hill. At the very least, she reasoned, he'll break my fall.

She picked up speed and tripped slightly over her own foot. Klaus turned around to Emily. "Just slow a little down and focus in front of you!" She almost laughed; did he really think that she had that much control over herself at this particular moment?

She tried to slow down, but she looked down at her own feet. She got to see her right foot come in contact with a rock and see her ankle snap in half. The bone protruded slightly out of her skin and by the time that her face fell to the ground and she tumbled further down the hill, the only thing Emily felt was relief.

* * *

><p>"What the hell were you thinking, taking her down that thing!" Klaus's father roared. Emily had been taken to her house, where her parents' were probably caring and doting over her.<p>

"You're lucky she only broke her ankle," his mother said, a bit more calmly.

"But now she's going to miss the race tomorrow!" Rebekah whined.

"I just hope you understand how bad that could have been," Esther sighed. Everyone then left Klaus to himself.

Emily had tumbled almost all the way down the hill by the time Klaus had caught her. He expected her to be out cold, but she was wide awake for the entire ordeal. He picked her up in his arms and her head cradled on his shoulder. Tears silently streamed down her face. Klaus ran through the woods and spotted Alex. When she turned around after he called her name, her gasp could be heard through all the chatter and space between them.

Em's parents had taken her back with them and Klaus's had scolded him and left him here. He hadn't wanted to hurt her, just scare her a little. Now she had a snapped ankle that probably hurt like hell and cuts scattering her face and body, and it was his entire fault. Klaus leaned his head back on his pillow and lets his eyes drift shut. In that instant he decided that for the rest of her life, he would be Emily's guardian angel.

* * *

><p>The next day was beautiful and sunny, perfect racing conditions. Except that Emily couldn't go. Everyone had agreed that they would postpone the race until Emily's ankle healed, but Emily didn't want to ruin anyone's fun. After much arguing and consideration, James and Alex agreed to let Emily stay at home while they went off to the hill. But Klaus refused to leave Emily's side.<p>

"I don't feel like it," he said, and nobody pushed him.

Alex sat down beside her daughter. "Now Emily, are you sure you're fine without us? We could stay and just-"

"My leg hurts," Emily said. "I don't have the flu."

"I think you're leg is a little more than _hurt_," Elijah pointed out. But they all left Emily and Klaus to themselves and went up to the hill.

They sat on the floor with Emily's leg propped up on a few pillows. They played guessing games and wondered who would win the race. Mostly they just talked about nothing in particular, killing time until everyone else came back.

After about 45 minutes, Em fell asleep. She leaned against him, and she was sort of heavy, and uncomfortable. He felt the damp heat of her cheeks against the sleeve of his shirt; measured the amazing length of her eyelashes. Emily shifted against him and woke up. "Oh, sorry," she said.

Klaus looked down at her. "It's fine," he whispered. Emily lifted her head slowly to look into his eyes. Something happened between them at this moment. Em, his best friend, a sister to him, was now a complete mystery to him. And now Klaus had a sudden urge to find out the mystery.

He bent his head down to her direction and she leaned up to reach him. She closed her eyes and he smiled. Then, their lips met.

* * *

><p>"My God. It's so hot out here!" Esther exclaimed.<p>

"Do we have anymore water?" Alex asked.

Mikael leaned down to find that the buckets of water they had brought with them were now already gone. James got up from the ground.

"I'll go get some more," he offered.

"Hurry back, darling," Alex joked.

James weaved through the woods and to his house, the empty buckets in hand. He opened the door and went searching for one more bucket, knowing that all the water would be drunk again in about another hour.

He knew Em and Klaus were in the main room, which is why he was so surprised to find the house awfully quiet. Carefully and quietly, he peered into the room to check in on them.

And found Klaus and Emily kissing.

Stunned at first, James could only stare in stunned silence. They were practically kids, for Gods sake. The incident on the mountain was still fresh in his mind and he could not believe that these kids would be stupid enough to do two things, in quick succession, that they shouldn't be doing.

Then he realized that Klaus and Emily were doing exactly when everyone always hoped that they would.

He backed away and closed the door behind him. By the time he arrived back to the race, he was smiling. Alex spotted him, anger visible on her red cheeks. "What took you so long?"

Grinning, James told them what he had seen. Alex and Esther laughed, delighted; Mikael shook his head. "You're sure," he said, "they were just kissing?" The four settled back into their seats, all smiling. They would have toasted the kids, but no one seemed to notice that James had forgotten the water.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that was a doozy. Hope you guys liked it. By the way, in my story Esther isn't trying to kill her kids. Mikael still is bad, we just haven't gotten to that part of the past yet. I almost didn't write today. I'm just so tired. But I did! Yay! Review, review, review, please! <strong>


	5. Questions

**This one is a tad later than usual; just lots of things that needed to be done today. If you haven't noticed, I write these before I go and write the actual chapter, so what I say now might not come true when I actually get to writing. But for now, there might not be much of some flashbacks. But that might change, so don't freak out if you like flashbacks ;) I own less than a homeless man with a shopping cart. **

* * *

><p>Dying is easy;<p>

It's living that scares me

-Annie Lennox

* * *

><p><em>Now <em>

_March 2012 _

If you have ever wanted to know what it felt like to be in a room where all the air had been sucked out, you should have been at the Mikaelson residence.

Esther's curious questions had seemed to lead to a reality where none of them had deemed possible. A reality where Emily wasn't as bright and happy as she seemed; one where she was so distraught that not even Klaus could save her. A reality where Emily Harte wanted to kill herself.

Klaus had to give credit to his mother; she barely seemed fazed to learn this, but Klaus could tell she was just as overwhelmed as everyone else. All she was doing was putting on a brave face, a face she had learned all too well in her existence.

Esther raised her head just high enough to meet her son's hollow eyes. She leaned forward, knowing full well of the hurt, shocked faces of her other children behind her. Right now, she just wanted Klaus to believe that it is just them, just talking. Esther leaned even more forward, hunched over.

"Did you know that Emily was," Esther cleared her throat, "um, suicidal?" She barely said the last word. She thought that if she didn't say it, it wouldn't be true. Not with Emily.

"Yes," Klaus said. "She had a plan worked out."

"My God," Klaus heard Rebekah breathe.

Esther ignored her. "Tell me about this plan," Esther pressed. "Was it some sort of Romeo and Juliet thing?"

Klaus leaned back on the couch and raised his left eyebrow, challenging her. "I wasn't going to kill myself. I don't particularly know how to kill someone like me."

Esther raised her own eyebrow, challenging him back. Klaus sighed. "No," he answered simply. "It was just Emily. Just what she wanted."

"She wanted to kill herself."

"Yes."

"So what happened?"

"We left at around eight."

Now, Esther stood up and turned to her other children behind her, who were hanging on to every syllable. They looked warily at their mother, wondering what she was going to do. Esther spoke clearly to them.

"I'm guessing Emily didn't tell any of you what she was planning to do?"

They all looked at each other, never thinking that maybe one of them actually knew and were just keeping her secret. The answer was unanimous.

"No," Finn said, answering for them all. "She never told anybody else."

Esther nodded and turned and turned back to the son in question. "Did you?'

"Did I what?"

"Tell anyone else?"

"No. Who else would I tell?"

"Why _didn't_ you tell anyone else?" Esther questioned back.

Klaus leaned up again. "I didn't care if anyone else knew. Emily did. That's all that mattered," Klaus answered.

"And what did she tell you?"

Klaus started tracing a pattern on his jeans with his thumbs. "She would just get really nervous. She said everything was perfect right now, and that she wanted everything to stay the same. She told me that she couldn't see herself in the future most of the time. Or when she could see herself, she couldn't figure out how to get there. Like from Point A to point B."

"Is that how you felt sometimes?"

"Sometimes," Klaus said softly. "Especially when I thought about Em dying." He bit his lower lip. "Something was hurting Emily," he said. "Something that she wouldn't tell me. It scared her a lot. Which ended up scaring me…" he trailed off.

Esther looked at her son softly. "Did you try to talk her out of it?"

"Yes," he said. "Probably a million times."

"That night?"

"And before."

"Where did you two go that night?"

"The hill. The one where we used to play when we were little."

Esther nodded. "You chose the place?"

"Emily did. I told you that already."

"Right. What time did you get there?"

"Around eight-thirty."

"Did you two eat before you left?"

"Emily didn't. I did."

"What did you two do next?"

Klaus exhaled slowly. "We walked up the hill together and sat down right at the top. Emily leaned back to look up at the sky." Klaus smiled at that. "Then we had a few drinks of the stuff we brought with us."

"Did you two have sex up there that night?"

Klaus's eyes narrowed. "I don't understand how that's any of your business."

"Emily is dead, Klaus," Esther said. "All of this is my business now."

Klaus shifted. "Yes," he said quietly.

"Was this a consensual act?"

"Yes," Klaus ground, his jaw tight.

"Are you sure?"

"I was there," he spat. "What are you implying?"

"There were pieces of flesh underneath her fingernails. I assume this was just because of the sex?"

Klaus was obviously uncomfortable answering these questions to his mother, so Esther moved on.

"Did you show her the stake before or after you two had sex?"

"I don't remember. After, I guess."

"But she knew you were bringing it?"

"It was her idea," Klaus said.

His mother nodded. "Was there a specific reason you two decided to go up to the hill that night?"

Klaus frowned. "Emily wanted to go there," he said.

"It was Emily's choice?"

"Yeah," Klaus answered. "We talked in circles about it before finally agreeing to it."

"Why the hill?"

Klaus looked away. "Memories, I'm assuming. She always liked it up there."

"So," Esther said. "You sat down on the hill, had a drink, watched the sun go down, had sex ..."

Klaus hesitated. "The sun had already gone down. It was eight o'clock," he said quietly. "I told you that." He looked his mother in the eye. "Don't you believe what I'm telling you?"

Esther sat up and put her hands on her hips. "Should I?" she asked.

* * *

><p>"I'm going to see her," Klaus told Elijah a few days later.<p>

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Elijah said, blocking his brother's way of the door.

Klaus huffed. "You're just worried I'm going to see Em's grave and want to blow my brains out. Which, by the way, isn't possible for me," Klaus teased, darkly.

_Actually, I am_, Elijah thought. But he wouldn't tell him that. Elijah felt bad that everybody was forcing Klaus from visiting Em but their mother said it was for the best. She didn't want Klaus to start reopening wounds every time he visited her. He could visit in a few weeks but not every day.

Klaus sighed to his brother's insistence and started to drag his feet back up the stairs. Suddenly, Elijah's chest felt a pang. He couldn't do this to him. He just wanted to see her. It had been a whole week. The first week in a long time where nobody had heard Emily. It was just all one big reminder of what they had lost. Elijah ran to his brother and touched him on the shoulder. Klaus looked back.

"Let's go," Elijah said.

"What?"

"I want to come with you."

* * *

><p>They walked in silence to the grave. It was mid afternoon, but it had been raining for a few days so it looked later than it actually was. When they got to the sight, Elijah noticed that it was still completely dirt. <em>Well, of course it is<em>, he thought. _It's only been a week_.

Elijah watched his brother move towards the rectangular mound of dirt. He leaned down and stroked at it with his entire hand.

Klaus stood up too quickly and walked back to Elijah. When he got there, though, he just looked at him. "Why haven't," he asked, "we gotten a gravestone yet?"

Elijah looked at the freshly turned earth. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "Maybe tomorrow we can go get one," he assured him.

Klaus nodded and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his coal black coat. "Which way is the top?" he asked.

Elijah looked at him and frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Her head," he said. "Which way is her head?"

Elijah looked at the grave wildly. "Um, the far end. I think."

Klaus walked away to kneel at the grave again, and Elijah thought, _Ah, of course. He wants to talk to her. _But to his amazement, Klaus straddled the slight mound and lay down on top of it, his arms holding close the flower arrangements he was crushing, his head and shoes just spanning the six feet, his face pressed into the earth. Then he stood up, dry- eyed, and walked back to his brother. Elijah turned around and started the trek back to the house, shaking with the effort not to look at his little brother, whose mouth was ringed with a lipstick of soil as branding as any kiss.


	6. The Girl Next Door

**I am SO sorry you guys! Going back to school from spring break + writer's block = not good for readers. I will try very hard to make this chapter good enough to wait for. I will incorporate some flashbacks, so if you like em' this is your chapter! Don't own TVD, for the thousandth time. :) **

* * *

><p>Real love stories never have endings.<p>

-Richard Bach

* * *

><p><em>Now <em>

_March 2012 _

Klaus remembered being a little kid, pretending along with Em that he had the power to make himself invisible. He'd put on one of his father's coats or she would wear one of her mother's rings and, bam, just like that, nobody would be able to see them throw their vegetables outside or sneak into the kitchen past 11 o'clock to get to the door to see each other. It was a handy thing, the suspension of belief. And it was apparently something you outgrew fast, because no matter what he did to imagine that no one could see him as he walked through the Mystic Grill, he could not convince himself that this was truly the case.

Klaus knew that nobody else knew about Emily's death, and this was just what happened when Elena Gilbert's peers realized that they were in a 50 mile radius of him, but he still felt hundreds of eyes trained directly on him.

He also knew that even the people that hated him most, such as Elena herself and the Salvatore brothers, could not help but to at least like Em a tiny bit. It was hard not to. She didn't really talk to them, but when she did it was never threatening (or catty like Rebekah). But mostly she would just stand beside him or go off and wander.

One of Emily's favorite pastimes was to explore through every corner of Mystic Falls and try to guess what used to stand here a thousand years ago. Every once in a while she would get stumped and ask him to try. But most of the time it took her less than two minutes to realize that the park was an old friend's house or the high school was an Indian burial ground.

Now, though, Klaus put on a smirk and walked straight to the table that sat Elena Gilbert and Damon Salvatore. "Ah, Elena, what are we speaking about today? Another plot of my demise, because if I remember correctly your last ten did not work out so well, now did they?" Klaus teased, bringing up a chair from the table over and setting it at the corner of their booth and sitting on it backwards.

Elena's eyes narrowed and her lips pursed. "Never give up hope," she spat. "Just hoping it's sooner rather than later," she muttered.

Klaus laughed. "Oh, come on, love! I can't be _that _bad, can I?" Elena opened her mouth but Klaus cut her off. "Don't answer that," he smiled.

Damon joined on the banter. "Loner today, Klaus? Where's your pretty little girlfriend? Emily, right? If you don't hang on to her, I could just..." Damon smiled nastily and licked his lips.

Right then and there, Klaus realized that he would not even blink before ripping out the elder Salvatore's heart right here in front of Elena and every patron in the restaurant. But doing that would give him a weakness and…..Then he realized that there was no weakness. His weakness was now six feet under.

Yes, might taunt him to near death about _her _death, but that was all they could do.

One of the biggest fears that Klaus had about bringing Emily into his problem was that she was not an Original. Sure, she was about the closest thing you could get to one, but that was not enough. If someone were to catch her off guard, they could easily bring her down and kill her. Just like that.

Turns out, she didn't need anyone else to do it for her.

Klaus attention was brought back to the conversation at hand. "What's wrong, Niklaus?" Damon sneered. "Hybrid got your tongue?" Beside him, Elena's face showed the fear and worry she was feeling whenever someone she loved tried to take on Klaus, physically or verbally. "Damon, no," she tried. Damon looked to her, lifted up his eyebrows and shrugged, then glanced back to Klaus.

"But, seriously. Where is little Emily? Only one of you I actually sort of liked."

Klaus's face kept even. "Back home" he answered simply. "She couldn't make it today."

Damon scoffed, but didn't say anything more. Elena sat up, putting her back up straighter. Probably to show strength in herself, but Klaus knew how absolutely terrified she was. "Did you come here," she asked, "to just have a nice little conversation with us?"

He had been ignoring her for the most part; after a while Elena Gilbert got _incredibly _annoying. But now he could no longer find himself being able to throw out witty comebacks or taunts, even the ones that burned at the back of his throat. Now, all he could think about was Em; how she would always order a Coke and fries here, or when she got Elijah to split one of the biggest hamburgers Klaus had ever seen with her. That was just Emily. She was very persuasive.

Damon and Elena stared at him, waiting for an answer that would never come. Klaus could no longer speak, so he just nodded, smiled grimly, and stood up to the door and left, hoping that they did not take his silence as surrender.

* * *

><p>The irony of the relief that swept over Klaus as he entered his brother's bedroom did not escape him. His house had been the last place in the world he had wanted to be, but that trophy now belonged to everywhere else in Mystic Falls. He sat on the chair on the other side of the room with his elbows resting on his knees, his feet anxiously tapping.<p>

Elijah was sitting on the bed, back straight and looking steadily at his younger brother. "You seem restless," Elijah sighed.

"I went to the Grill," he explained. "It sucked." He laughed nervously at his use of words.

"Why?"

"Is it not obvious? They don't like me anyway. They _loathe_ me. But then they mentioned Emily and I just….." Klaus trailed off, noting how Elijah understood what "they" was referring to without asking.

"Maybe you should say something. Tell them," Elijah suggested. Klaus stared at him dumbly.

"Have you lost your mind?" Klaus questioned, accusingly. "_Why the hell _would I even _think _about doing that?"

Elijah shrugged. "Maybe pity, I suppose. They all generally liked Emily. They might feel a bit sorry for you."

"That's the last thing I want them to feel for me," Klaus muttered. "They wouldn't feel sorry for me anyway."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because I was there!" Klaus blurted. "Because I'm alive and she isn't. They would fill in the blanks themselves. Even if they don't actually know themselves that I was there." Klaus looked away from his brother, too upset to look at anywhere but the floor in the hallway.

"Does that bother you?"

"Hell, yes," Klaus said. "Wouldn't it bother you?"

Elijah shrugged again. "I can't say. I guess if I knew I was being true to myself, I'd want to believe that everyone would come around sooner or later to my way of thinking. "

Klaus snorted. "I bet all the witches in Salem were thinking that, too, when they smelled the smoke."

"What is it that bothers you the most?"

Klaus fell silent. It wasn't that he was not being taken at his word; if the situation had been reversed, he too might have his doubts. It wasn't even that everyone in the whole goddamned town would treat him like he'd beheaded six people in front of their children. It was, having seen him with Emily, they could believe he would ever willingly hurt her.

"I loved her," he said, his voice breaking. "I can't forget that. So I don't see why everyone else can."

Elijah looked toward his brother, pain streaking across his face. "Klaus? Would you tell me about Emily?"

Klaus frowned at his brother. "Why? You knew her too. Almost as well as I did."

"I just want to hear about Em in your own words. Is that fine?"

Klaus closed his eyes. How could he convey to someone else the way she always smelled like rain, or how his stomach knotted up every time he saw her shake loose her hair from its braid? How could he describe how it felt when she finished his sentences, turned the mug they were sharing so that her mouth landed where his had been? How did he explain the way they could be in a locker room, or underwater, or in the piney woods of Maine, but as long as Em was with him, he was at home?

"She belonged to me," Klaus said simply.

Elijah's eyebrows lifted. "What do you mean?"

"She was, you know, all things I wasn't. And I was all the things she wasn't. I could paint circles around everyone; she couldn't even draw a straight line. She had always been into sports, I never really was. She could play the piano better than the greatest prodigy. I could barely read the music notes." Klaus lifted his outstretched palm and curled his fingers. "Her hand," he said. "It fit mine."

Elijah nodded. "Go on,"

"Well, I mean, we weren't always going out. It happened later on, you know. But I've known her forever." He laughed suddenly. "She said my name before anything else. She used to call me Kiss, because Rebekah would call me Nik around Em. And then, when she learned the word kiss for real, she'd get it all confused and look at me and smack her lips." He looked up. "I don't remember that, exactly. Mother told me."

Elijah smiled and leaned back against the pillows, relaxed. He was now lost in the memories about a girl. He closed his eyes, and turned to Klaus. "How old were you when you met Em? I know you were there when she was born, but I forgot how old were all were."

Klaus furrowed his eyebrows together, deep in concentration. "Um, well, I was four. Rebekah was only _weeks _old. You were, I believe, thirteen or fourteen, not sure which. Kol was only about one and a half. And Finn was sixteen."

Elijah laughed. "You two were always together. Alexandra, remember Em's mom, used to say that she had to pull you two apart whenever you both started playing."

Klaus grinned. He remembered Alexandra, or Alex, as everyone really called her. She had loved them all, especially Klaus. But she was also incredibly soft for Rebekah. "We were always real close. Like brother and sister."

Elijah looked up. "And then, one day, you weren't," he whispered. "When did that happen, anyway?"

Klaus frowned. "I don't know the day, exactly. Em would. It just sort of evolved. Everyone figured it was going to happen, so it wasn't much of a surprise. One day I kind of looked at her and I didn't just see Em, I saw this really beautiful girl. And, well. You know. "

"And you really loved her, didn't you?"

"More than anything."

A cloud passed over Elijah's face, as though he was having an inner struggle with himself. "So how did you know? How did you know it was love?"

The way he asked it was not to be mean, or confrontational. If he had been bitter or direct, Klaus would have clammed up immediately. But as it stood, it was a good and valid question. "There was an attraction," he said carefully, "but it was more than that." He chewed on his lower lip for a second. "Once, we broke up for a while. I started hanging around with this girl who I'd always thought was really hot, Tatia, remember her? I was, like, completely infatuated with Tatia, maybe even when I was still together with Em. Anyway, we started going to places and fooling around a little and every time I was with Tatia I realized I didn't know her too well. I'd hyped her up in my head to be so much more than what she really was." Klaus took a deep breath. "When Em and I got back together, I could see that she had never been less than what I'd figured her to be. If anything, she was always better than I remembered. And that's what I think love is," Klaus said quietly. "When your hindsight's twenty-twenty, and you still wouldn't change a thing."

At that, Elijah fell silent. This was not the immature, spoiled child that everybody knew Klaus to be. This was the wise, loving part of him. The part of him that only Emily Harte could ever bring out. Now Elijah looked back up. "Klaus," he asked. "What's your earliest memory?"

The question took Klaus by surprise; he actually laughed out loud. "Memory? Uh, well, I don't remember much of being human. I don't know. Oh, wait- there was this toy that I had. Not sure what it was..Well, anyway, I remember me playing with it constantly and Emily trying to grab it away. She was, like, barely one."

"Anything else?"

Klaus clamped his hands together and thought back. "Her birthday," he said. "Now probably two years old. We came into the living room in the morning and her parents had lots of presents circled on the floor for her to sit down and open."

"We?"

"Yeah," Klaus nodded. "You know how we always used to go to each other's houses when we were kids."

Elijah nodded thoughtfully. "Tell me truthfully," he asked. "Do you actually have any early childhood memories that don't include Emily?"

Klaus tried to run backward in his mind, replaying his life like a loop of film. He saw himself standing in a makeshift bathtub (the kind made of things like metal back then) with Emily, peeing in the water while she giggled and his mother yelled bloody murder. He saw himself making a snow angel, swinging wide his arms and legs and hitting Emily, who was doing the same thing beside him. He caught glimpses and snippets of his parents' faces, but Emily was off to the side.

Klaus shook his head. "Actually," he said, "I don't."

* * *

><p>Klaus found himself in his bedroom, the one he and Emily had shared. It was a simple room, mostly; nothing special. Although, it was immense in space. The king sized bed was the first thing that you saw when you walked in, the entirety of it covered in white, from sheets to pillows. There were two nightstands beside each side of the bed and one long dresser beside the bathroom door, all mahogany. Overlooking the back into the woods was a floor to ceiling window. There was a bay window on the other side of the room, the cushions and the draping curtain also white.<p>

_This looks like Em's room_, Klaus thought. _Completely white, completely innocent._

But if he had learned anything, it was that innocence can't save you. That life wasn't fair. That bad things happened to good people. And sometimes it caused that good person to do unspeakable things.

Like kill them self.

Klaus wretched his eyes away from the white, which was difficult. _Everything _was white. So, he looked to the dark, hardwood floors. Eventually he sat down, his back against the softness of the bed. And then, he lay on the cool, hard floor, his eyes drifting to the underside of the bed.

Klaus spotted a small, porcelain box, surprisingly. It wasn't his, so it must have been Emily's. But why would she keep it under the bed? The box itself probably cost hundreds of dollars itself, not even counting what was expectantly going to be something valuable inside.

But when Klaus reached under the bed to grab and open the mystery box, he found something, not valuable in money, but infinitely more. Inside was an extraordinary amount of things, considering how small the box had actually looked. There were probably about five letters, old and worn out, that they had written to each other over the centuries when they were apart. Klaus knew that there were _countless _of these letters around the house somewhere (and even more in places that he had no clue about), but these were her favorite, apparently. Klaus reached up behind him without looking and placed the letters on his nightstand gently.

The next thing he noticed was a necklace. Klaus remembered this from probably the 1700s or around that time, anyway. It had a simple silver chain, but that's not what Emily had loved about it so much. Connected to the chain was small heart – shaped pendant. Inside was a small amethyst jewel, because that was Emily's birthstone. _February 10__th__, _Klaus thought. This was her birthday present from him for a year. She was so thrilled to have that she never took it off. _It's probably not even real_, Kol had warned, teasing. _If you're not careful, you are going to end up with a green streak around your neck._ It was real, though, and Emily had loved it so much. Klaus stuck the necklace in his jeans pocket.

The last thing in the box was something Klaus did not recognize. It was small music box, a picture of Paris on the outside of it; Paris from probably the 1930s or 40s. When Klaus cranked the handle, _La Vie En Rose _began to play. A smile appeared on Klaus's face; this was one of Emily's favorite songs. He could imagine Emily, being dragged to shop by Rebekah in Paris, and finding this small little music box that played _La Vie En Rose _and being completely transfixed by it. Klaus closed the porcelain box, stood up, and put the music box on the dresser in front of the mirror.

He stared at the music box for a moment, watching the picture of Paris at night, beautiful and bright. Klaus snatched the box back up and sat on the bed that he had once shared with Emily, the one where her dead body lied for hours, and played _La Vie En Rose_. He let his eyes go wide and stared at the box until he was seeing absolutely nothing.

* * *

><p><em>Then<em>

_February 1069 A.D. _

"Happy birthday!" Emily's hand flew to her chest as eleven people suddenly shouted at her as she walked into her house. Then, realizing exactly _why _and _who _had shouted at her, Emily grinned and laughed hysterically with them as they laughed at her.

Alex came up and hugged her youngest daughter so tight that Emily was sure she would burst right there. "Happy 17th birthday, sweetheart," Alex whispered.

"Thank you, mother," Em whispered back. Alex let go and James came up. "Happy birthday, darling," he smiled. But he didn't hug her. He wasn't into the whole public display of affection like her mother was; Emily was suddenly glad.

Jasper walked up. "Looks like," he started, "a new wild child will soon be joining is." Emily wasn't sure, but she would bet that at that moment her mother's face looked like someone had just told her that she would have as many kids as Esther does one day; it would _not _be a pretty face. "I'm sure that if that was going to happen, it would have already begun," Emily stated. She was sure that when her big brother walked off he muttered, _Late bloomer_. But she wasn't sure.

Esther and Mikael walked up and hugged her together and smiled while she smiled back. But when she looked up, only Esther was smiling. Things had been strange with Mikael lately, but nobody was sure what was wrong with him.

In the past couple of years, Mikael had started to get abusive toward Niklaus and _only _Niklaus. Klaus wasn't sure why, but Mikael sure had a reason.

Breaking her thoughts, Rebekah bolted into her. "Now we are _both_ seventeen!" she screamed. She did this very year considering they were only weeks apart. But Emily always screamed back, just to make her happy.

Elijah and Finn came up together, probably to save some time, and hugged her. "Happy birthday," Elijah congratulated for both of them. "Thanks," she smiled.

Kol came up and hugged her almost as tight as her mother. "Birthday girl!" he declared. Emily giggled.

Now, Klaus waltzed up. _God, he's beautiful_, Emily thought suddenly. Klaus's scraggly dirty blond hair and his clear, piercing blue eyes walked up to give her a hug that nobody else could top. Intimate and warm, his hands slid down to somewhere a tad lower than the small of her back. He turned back to make sure no one else was in the room; thankfully, everyone else had already gone into the kitchen.

Klaus buried his face into her neck and trailed open mouthed kissed along it. Emily buried her hands into his hair, smiling at the sensation. Smiling seductively, Klaus lifted his head up and went for her. Emily's full, pouty lips were soft and warm. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she pressed the length of her body against his. She tightened her arms around his neck. Klaus ran his tongue along her bottom lip and she opened her mouth for him, her fingernails scraping through the hair at the nape of his neck deliciously. He slid his tongue into the heat of her mouth, and hers eagerly glided against his. He felt his skin ignite every time Emily touched him. She nibbled on his bottom lip and he growled. He picked her up effortlessly and set her down on the back of a couch. One hand ran up her leg to feel the smooth skin beneath the hem of her skirt, fingers digging into her thigh. The other tangled in her hair, crushing her lips harder against his.

He was burning and he reveled in it. Kissing Emily was more than just mere physical pleasure; it was a _need,_ a necessity. It was euphoric. Klaus knew he would never let her go, that he would keep her forever, by any means necessary. It was immensely satisfying to have her in his arms, so responsive, so willing. In that moment, Klaus knew that Emily would always be his, as he would always be hers. They belonged together, to each other. Always and forever.

After what seemed like hours, Klaus set Emily down and she grabbed his hand, intertwining it with his. Together, they walked into the kitchen where their families had been waiting and found out that they were only gone for a few minutes.


	7. A Poor, Mad Girl

**Hello! This one took much longer to write because I have awful writer's block. :( I hate writer's block. And it's not as long as the others. Boo.**

* * *

><p>You come to love not by finding the perfect person,<p>

but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly.

-Sam Keen

* * *

><p><em>Now<em>

_April 2012 _

In theory, Klaus would have loved to know what was always going on inside of Emily's head. All her quirks, her mannerisms, the way she spoke, why she said certain sentences the way she had said them. She had never been normal. Maybe this would help him figure out why she had decided that dying was much better than spending an eternity with him.

_With me,_ Klaus thought. _With everyone. Everyone that loved you, everyone who wanted you to get better. Why? _Why_ did you do it, Em? _Klaus asked this question inside of his head at least ten times a day. He screamed it, as if Emily could hear it and would answer. But she never did.

Klaus's mother walked into the living room where Klaus was sitting. She looked excited, but cautious. Klaus smirked to himself. Don't want to upset the boy by being happy, now do we?

"Did you hear who came back to see Finn?" Esther asked.

Klaus cocked his head, curious, but not looking at her. "No."

Esther smiled in spite of herself. "Sage."

Sage. As in Finn's "one true love" Sage. The woman who Klaus knew for a fact had fucked countless of men over the last 900 years. One of whom being Damon Salvatore. God he got around. Seeing a girl who claimed to love his brother and "waited" for him for almost a thousand years, and yet ended up being a whore and a bitch was not someone Klaus would like to see.

"Is she coming here?" Klaus asked.

Esther nodded.

"Then I'm leaving," Klaus proclaimed, jumping up from the couch.

"Um, no you're not," Esther declared. "Finn is very excited to see her. You should all be happy for him. Here. With us." Esther arched one fine eyebrow and put her hands on her hips. A clear sign that she would not take no for an answer.

"He is the _only _one that is actually happy to see her. She's not a good person. Did you happen to hear what she did to your daughter?" Klaus countered.

Esther sighed. "Knowing Sage, I don't think I want to." Klaus snorted.

"You don't like her either." It wasn't a question.

"Your brother has awful taste in women," Esther whispered in secret. Klaus grinned. "You can go, if you want," she offered. "I'll bear this punishment alone, I guess," she shrugged.

"Thank you."

Klaus ran out the front door, slamming into Elijah in the process. "Where have you been all night?" Klaus asked, slugging an arm around his brother while walking to his car.

Elijah shrugged. "Avoiding Sage."

Klaus laughed out loud, throwing his head back. "Isn't everybody?"

* * *

><p>Elijah noticed the other night that Klaus remembered Emily perfectly. How she looked, what she sounded like, everything. And yet, while he definitely remembered, he wouldn't talk about what happened to Emily and the one thing that was wrong with her.<p>

Klaus ordered two straight shots of tequila for the both of them at the Grill, making sure that there was no sign of Elena Gilbert and the rest of her crew first. It still amazed Elijah how much she and Katerina looked like Tatia. A true genetic curiosity, if you will. When the coast was clear, they sat down at a booth by a window looking onto the Mystic Falls town square instead of the bar.

Klaus wasn't talking, which was perfectly fine with him. The silence gave him time to examine his younger brother. He no longer had bags under his eyes, so he'd been sleeping. That's good. He seemed cheerier, no longer confined to his room. Why he slept in it, Elijah could not understand. Emily's body lied in that room for hours, dead and cold. Elijah shuddered.

Elijah assumed that Emily was probably peaceful now, wherever she was. Klaus, however, wasn't. And he was rewriting Emily. But Elijah knew. Elijah remembered her. The way she would laugh at odd places in a conversation. Or how her blue wyes would be fixated on nothing with such intensity that you'd find yourself looking into the air to see what had her so mesmerized. Sometimes she would just cover her ears with her hands and close her eyes tightly, as if to block out a painful noise. But Klaus loved her so much. Ever since she was born.

In front of him, Klaus slid up from the booth. "Hey," he said. "I'm going to head out." He took out a wad of money from his pocket, much more than needed for a couple shots. "Buy whatever you want," he whispered. Klaus grabbed his jacket and walked out of the Grill. Elijah stared after his brother but decided to leave him alone. Things like this would now happen forever.

Without Emily, Klaus would always be just a half of a whole. Never fully himself. It amazed Elijah every time he thought about it. Klaus could have any woman he wanted. Through compulsion or just good old fashioned seducing. Many women over the centuries have wanted him, badly. And Elijah was certain that Klaus had had lovers. Many. But that's not who Klaus loved, Elijah thought. Not his string of fancy lovers from all over the world. But a poor, mad girl from home.

* * *

><p><em>Then<em>

_March 1069 A.D. _

Rebekah's hand sizzled when she touched the necklace. She hissed and pulled her hand back. She looked to the woman beside her. "Ayanna!" she exclaimed "You burned me."

"It is not yours to touch," she said simply. Rebekah sighed, defeated.

"Mother!" Rebekah looked up to her brother's voice. "Is that Niklaus?" she asked to the witch next to her.

"Mother!" her brother shrieked again.

Rebekah ran to the door. "Something is wrong," she whispered.

Rebekah raced to her brother and gasped. Niklaus was holding her youngest brother, Henrick. He was bloody and unconscious. "Henrick?" Rebekah sobbed. She barely noticed her brothers and parents running over, grief already on their faces. Her mother pushed everyone to the side to reach her two sons.

"What happened?" she asked Niklaus, panicked and crying.

"The wolves," he whispered.

Esther cradled Henrick's head on her lap. It just lolled to the side. "Ayanna?" Esther pleaded. "Do something!" she screamed.

Ayanna walked slowly and knelt down beside Henrick's body. She touched his forehead and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, Esther. The spirits won't give us a way." She looked at the grieving mother, sorrowful. "Your boy is gone."

Holding her son, Esther let out a painful cry. One only a mother could give. "No! No, no, no!" she chanted, screaming.

Rebekah heard a gasp. "Oh my God," Emily breathed, tears stinging her eyes. Rebekah watched her best friend kneel down beside Niklaus. He looked to Emily and suddenly sobbed, throwing his arms around the younger and much smaller girl. Rebekah watched Emily show a tenderful love that she had never seen before, one that no one could even dare to compete with.

Emily gently placed her arms around the older man as he laid his head onto her shoulder. She stroked his hair and whispered soothing things to him, things that really had no meaning but seemed to be working. Klaus still sobbed for his brother, heartbroken. Rebekah could see that Emily was crying, but not as much as she should be. She's waiting to be alone, to be strong, Rebekah realized. Emily doesn't want Klaus to have to comfort her.

Pang pounded into Rebekah's chest. This is exactly what her brother needs. Someone who loves him. Someone who won't abandon him. Someone who will be strong. That's what Emily is. He'll need her forever.

* * *

><p>Two weeks after Henrick died, the rest of the family was killed. Mikael fed them Tatia Petrova's blood and turned them into vampires. To keep them all safe, their mother had told them. But there were so many consequences, blood lust being the worst. They were monsters, immortal. The humans that had once been their friends were now food.<p>

They all killed somebody. But when Klaus killed a girl from the village, a secret was now revealed. The murder that Klaus committed awakened his dormant werewolf side and everyone knew that Esther had been unfaithful. Klaus was the evidence of the affair. All the cold glances and hurtful words now made sense.

When the truth came out, Mikael went into a rage, killing most of the village. In the middle of the night, he went next door to the Harte's. James tried to intervene.

"She loves you!" James screamed. "It was a mistake and she's probably so, so sorry. Please, Mikael." At the beg, Mikael cocked his head and smiled gently. Then he pulled out James Harte's own heart.

A woman's scream echoed through the night. Mikael stepped over James's body and slammed into the back room. Alex was huddled into a corner, alone and shaking. She looked up at his, tears spilling over on her cheeks. Mikael gently grabbed her hands and pulled her to her feet. He stroked her face. Alex closed her eyes. Then Mikael snapped her neck and slammed her head off her body.

With the blood of his friend's on his hands, Mikael walked slowly back to his own house, not feeling the guilt of his actions at all. What he failed to notice was the other bedroom in the Harte household. The one that at this very moment held Jasper and Emily, cradled in his arms. A brother protecting his younger sister.

With the door to the bedroom opened slightly, they both saw their parents murdered gruesomely. Jasper turned away from the sight, disgusted. But Emily couldn't look away. Her eyes went wide and gray. Something inside of her snapped, and she suddenly didn't feel anything like herself.

**So. Emily's actually mad. And not only because she watched her parents die, but many other things we will see later. I'll just go ahead and tell you this: Emily's life is basically a mess. Review, Review! **


	8. A Hybrid Changed

**I'm SO sorry it's been so long! Writer's block is completely awful. School will be out in like, a week, and then I'm going to Florida. So, I will try to get another chapter after this one, but if not then it will be about three or four weeks (but that gives me plenty of time to think about it so it will probably be great!) **

**BTW: The flashbacks in this chapter will just be italicized because they are around the same time as the last ones. **

* * *

><p>"In the wake of a disaster, the last thing you needed to do was set off another bomb; instead, you walked through the rubble and told yourself that it wasn't nearly as bad as it looked."<p>

-Jodi Picoult, The Tenth Circle

* * *

><p><em>Jasper carefully opened the door to the bedroom, afraid to wake up the girl who was tangled up in the sheets on the bed. The room was so dark that he couldn't even make out her form. <em>

_Slowly and taking small, quiet steps, he eased himself over to Emily's bed, and sat down on the floor next to where her head was fast asleep on the pillow. Jasper cocked his head to the side and brought his hand up to stroke it gently across her cheek. _

_Emily's face was warm and smooth, peaceful, Jasper would guess if he could even see her. Her breathing was even, quiet. If you hadn't known what had happened, you wouldn't expect anything from the way she was at this moment. _

_It had been two weeks since Emily and Jasper's parents had been murdered. Killed, brutally, by a man they had both once trusted with their very lives. Mikael had killed them, along with almost half the rest of the village. There was no longer laughing and playing by the children. The adults didn't wave anymore when they saw them. Now, there was only silence. Maybe, on bad days, weeping. _

_Jasper and Emily had been quite especially unlucky. Not only had they lost _both_ parents, but they had to carry the burden that they had witnessed it happen before their very eyes. Jasper had mourned, by himself mostly, but sometimes his little sister would cry with him. And that little sister, it seemed, had gotten the worst of it. _

_The change in her eyes was gradual. At one time, the blue had been like the sky in summer; impossibly bright, twinkling, beautiful. Now, it seemed, they were turning grey, lifeless. Her smile was practically nonexistent. It almost seemed like she had never laughed. _

_Emily wasn't eating, either. Her arms were getting frighteningly skinny, along with the rest of her body. However, she slept like the dead. She didn't toss or turn, or wake up from bad dreams. She just lied there all night, every night. _

_And it hadn't taken a genius to know that she hadn't seen Klaus since the incident. He had come over, only to be told that she didn't want to see him or that she was busy. "Busy doing what?" he had asked one day. "Falling down," Jasper had answered and shut the door. He was sure that his Emily was slowly descending into madness, but he didn't want to tell her. She probably already knew. _

_Now with one last look at the sleeping form on the bed, Jasper got up from the floor. Walking to the door, Jasper felt a tear roll down his cheek. He just only hoped that his sister could pick herself back up. _

* * *

><p><em>For the first time in probably three weeks, Emily had trouble going to sleep. She flopped around, pulled off the covers, walked around, and finally admitted defeat. Tiptoeing outside, so quiet that Jasper wouldn't hear her exit, Emily headed straight for next door. <em>

_She hadn't been here in what seemed like forever, possibly considering the fact that she and Klaus had never gone a day without seeing each other since she was born before a couple weeks ago. The only person she had seen was her brother and sometimes the occasional person offering condolences, before stepping away to surly for mourn for the loved one they had most likely also lost. _

_Emily lifted her scrawny arms and cautiously knocked on the door of her second family. _Please don't let Mikael be here. Don't open the door_, she thought. And when the door finally opened, Emily let out a soft sigh and a loud sob. _

"_Oh, Elijah!" she cried, throwing her arms around the much taller man. "I'm so happy to see you." Her sentences were muffled as she buried her face into his shoulder. Elijah was a brother to her, and his embrace has as comforting as an old friend. Or a mother's hug. Not that she would get one of those anymore. _

_But then, Elijah pulled away and stared into Emily's eyes. Tears were forming. "Em," he whispered. His hands went back to cup her head and he used his thumbs to stroke her cheeks. "I'm so sorry." _

_Emily closed her eyes, letting the tears pour out. He didn't have to say what for. It was everything. "Thank you," she whispered back, eyes still closed. Suddenly, she remembered why she came here. Looking around wildly, Emily almost shouted with anxiety. "Where is Niklaus?" she asked. Elijah almost gasped. The hands that were once gently stroking her face were now rigid at his side. _

"_You don't know." It wasn't a question. Emily's eyebrows furrowed. "Know what?" _

* * *

><p><em>In a field miles away from any type of civilization, Esther began to chant. "<em>_Et nunc__me__vocare__ad dirigendos__opus__olim__veneficas__hodie.__Cum__sacrificiohumano__obligant__puero hoc." _

_With Elijah behind her, Emily rushed the scene in front of her. In the middle of two ring of fires were Klaus and Tatia Petrova. Since Elijah filled her in on why Klaus was here, it was only a shock to see Tatia here. _

"_Ah, Emalina Harte," Esther called, using Emily's real name. "I thought my son might clue you in onto what I was planning." _

_Tears streamed down Emily's face. "Please, Esther!" she pleaded. "Do not do this. Neither one deserves this." The look Esther gave her was one of utter repulsion. _

"_You think that this boy," she began, gesturing at Klaus, "deserves to live freely in his state of being? My young girl, you are not wise enough to know this, but the man you claim to love so much is nothing but a monster. Nothing more. He will always be like this." Emily shook her head profusely. _

"_You forget, Esther," Emily countered, "that without your help, he would never have been like this in the very first place. _You _did this to him. _You _committed adultery, _you _lied about it, and _you _turned him into a vampire, along with the rest of your family. This was never to be Niklaus's own fault." Esther's proudly rose her head up and walked from where she was placed._

_Esther moved closer to where Emily was standing. Emily did not budge. But instead of coming for her, Esther swerved to the burning ring next to her where Tatia was crying silently. Quickly, the ring's fire dwindled away and Esther held her hand out for the other girl. When Tatia did not even attempt to move, Esther struck forward and yanked her by her long, dark hair. Tatia gave a yelp and tried to fight back. _Good for you_, Emily thought. And almost as quickly as it had begun, it was over when Esther pulled out a knife and slit the eighteen year old girl's throat. _

_Emily made a noise in the back of her throat, knowing that her pleas earlier had done Tatia no good. "I am sorry," Emily silently whispered, hoping that Tatia could hear her wherever she now was. _

_Without looking at Emily, Esther walked back to Tatia, handy with a silver goblet, and let the blood flowing from her throat wash into it. When it was filled about half way, Esther walked up to a large cauldron_, Filled with God knows what_, Emily thought, and, while chanting for the last time poured the blood in. "__Sanguis__et__adulescentularum__hoc__nunc__obligare__mi_."

_Klaus looked over at Emily, as if noticing for the first time she was there. Suddenly, he looked away. "I love you," he said. Tears ran down Emily's cheeks, staining them. "I love you, too." _

_With a sickening snap, Klaus fell to the ground. Every bone in his body seemed to be breaking. He was yelling and kicking and screaming, and Emily just fell to the ground. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't get to him because of the fire and she couldn't comfort him because of all the screaming. Why is there so much screaming? Pulling her knees up to her chin, Emily snapped her hands up to cover her ears and she started to cry. "Please stop," she begged. "Please, please, please." Elijah ran up to her and pulled her into his arms. _

"_It's going to be alright, Em. He'll be fine."Elijah promised. And just as he said it, the yelling stopped. The fire went away, and Emily scrambled to her feet for Klaus. Bolting towards him, Emily fell to her feet to where he was lying and rushed into Klaus's arms this time. She was now sobbing uncontrollably. "I thought you were dead," she cried. "I thought she killed you." _

_Esther spoke for the first time in what seemed like a while. "Now," she began, "he is fixed." _

_When Emily started to shake again, Klaus took her face into his hands. "Look at me, sweetheart. Em?" When she locked eyes with him, Klaus actually smiled. "I won't leave you," he promised. And Emily believed him. _


	9. Dare

**Hello! Second chapter that I promised you is here. Flashbacks are italicized, Emily's dream is not, just for clarification. **

**Now, Emily's dream is basically like a flashback to something that happened earlier in the story, but wasn't delved into much. For some people, it might be hard to read, especially because of how young Emily was when it happened. But it's important because it's all another part of why Emily is the way she is. So you're warned. **

* * *

><p>No light, no light<p>

In your bright blue eyes

I never knew daylight could be so violent

A revelation in the light of day

-Florence and the Machine, "No Light, No Light"

* * *

><p>"<em>Well," Rebekah started, "How does it feel?" <em>

_Klaus looked over at her from the bed, sprawled, taking away the arm that was covering his eyes. "Not that different," he replied. "Except that, I feel as if…like." He trailed off. _

_Rebekah leaned forward, intrigued. "Like what?" _

_Klaus sighed and furrowed his eyebrows together. "I feel as if I'm missing a part of myself. An important part." _

_Rebekah pouted, wondering how that must feel. Their mother had done this to him. And their father had killed her yesterday after the sacrifice was complete, ripped out her heart. Well, not Niklaus's father. That realization was why Mikael had killed her in the first place. _

_Rebekah could feel a lump form in her throat. That bastard. He killed more than half the village, including Emily's parents, and his own wife. And then just to top it all off, his children. Who then came back to life as vampires. It seemed like Emily, ironically, was the only normal one around here. _

* * *

><p><em>Emily thrashed around in her bed, flinging the covers off of it. <em>

_She whimpered and grabbed the pillow next to her, reaching for Klaus, who, even her subconscious knew, was the only person who could comfort her. The dream overtook her, and the person she was grabbing for was no longer there. _

* * *

><p>It's just a dare, she told herself the day of the picnic, and she walked to the back of The Creep's house. To her surprise, it was a pretty normal backyard, nothing like the stories the kids told. The ones that said there were skeletons of other children from the village or massive torture devices used for the ones that didn't die so quickly. It was sort of smelly, though. But not the kind that went with the smell of decomposing flesh.<p>

Suddenly, Emily saw a figure move beside her. Paralyzed by embarrassment -what is they noticed the person that was sneaking behind The Creep's house was a nine year old girl? –she stayed rooted in her place. There was rustling of some leaves and The Creep then stood before Emily.

"Well," he said. "What have we got here?"

Emily's legs trembled. "I- I had to go really bad and yours was the closest place for privacy," she stuttered. God that sounded stupid. She whirled, headed for the front of the house, but he grabbed her wrist.

"Oh, yeah?" he said, his voice curling like smoke around her, pulling her closer. "Why this one? I have neighbors, you know? Just as close." Emily tried to shrug casually, but she was shaking too bad.

The Creep pushed her up against one of the back walls of his house, so flat that no one would be able to see anything, even if they came looking for her. "Maybe," he suggested, "you wanted to see me for yourself."

Holding her hands over her head, he slid his hand up her shirt. "No titties," he laughed. "Might be a man." Then he slipped his hand under the folds of her dress and rubbed his fingers between her clamped legs. "Don't feel no prick either, though," he said. He leaned forward, so close that she could smell his breath. "Gotta make sure," he said, and he jammed his finger inside her.

Panic was a cloud around her, stiffening her body and filling her throat so that even though she screamed in her mind, no sound actually came out. Just as quickly as the man had grabbed her, he let her go. Emily fell to the cool grass as he left her, feeling a burning sensation from his hands inside her. She was sick on the ground, and then stood up. She straightened her clothing and walked back to the table, where Klaus was waiting for her.

* * *

><p>"<em>Emily!" Klaus screamed. "Emily, you have to wake up." He was shaking her now. <em>

_Bolting upright, Emily gave a loud sob and flung herself at the person she had once been reaching for. "I was looking for you but you- you weren't there," she cried into his shoulder. _

_Klaus stroked her hair and sat on the bed with Emily, holding her tightly and not planning on letting her go. "I was outside," he explained. "Elijah and I were talking. We didn't want to wake you." _

_Emily nodded. "I was dreaming again." _

_Klaus looked down at her, worry and fear wide in his eyes. "Would you please tell me what it was about? You always say it's about the same thing, but you never tell me." Emily shook her head._

"_If I tell you, you'll get upset," she stated, as if this was reason enough. _

"_But if I don't know then I can't help you." _

"_You don't need to help me. I'm a big girl." She smiled. "I can take care of myself." Emily leaned back onto her pillow, taking Klaus with her. She kissed his lips and then forgot what she was worrying about in the first place._


End file.
